Several types of opening cylinders and rollers exist for use on open end spinning machines, and are used for combing and aligning the fibrous materials being processed. Such units are described in various U.S. Patents including those numbered U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,067,625; 4,939,897; 4,805,395; 3,750,380; and 5,088,266 (as examples only). Most of the known devices include a shaft rotatably mounted in a bearing housing, and an opening roller mounted on the end of the shaft which projects from the bearing box. These fittings are subjected to incredibly high stress and must be replaced periodically. Prior art devices and patents teach the manufacturing of a base member and ring which can be removed and exchanged when worn. Still others teach a structure and methodology for protecting the bearings of the opening roller shaft from entrance of contaminants such as fiber remnants, fiber fly, and microdust. The penetration of fibers and microdust particles into the cylinder roll and casing, if allowed to accumulate, can cause speed loss and even bearing seizure or jamming, and such contaminants substantially shorten the life of the components.
Most approaches to cleaning the bearing box and shaft of the opening roller involve the removal of at least the cylinder ring in order to remove the fibers and dust particles collected in the spacial tolerances around the bearing box and shaft. Such a procedure of course requires a considerable amount of machine down time and labor. One later approach taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,897 involves the use of an opening cylinder having at least two air passageways or ducts through which compressed air is injected to bow out contaminants and clean the inner cylinder. The structure described therein creates an air flow pattern whereby compressed air injected into one of the ducts must move through a recess in the inner body of the cylinder, into a radial connecting duct, and then into the hollow cavity surrounding the bearing housing. Contaminant material, then exits an opposite radial connecting duct and out a second cleaning duct. Therefore the airflow pattern is not along a direct or clean flow path, causing some loss of air pressure and resulting cleaning capacity.
It was to the provision of an opening roller or cylinder having an improved structure for maintenance purposes, and to the provision of means for improving the safety of maintenance procedures, that the present inventor turned. Further objectives were improved operation due to decreases in maintenance time, and increased cost effectiveness due to extended life of component parts.
The present invention is directed to an improved opening roller or cylinder assembly: having a plurality of ducts for injection of air into the roller along a direct path parallel to the axis of the rotating shaft; having a surface-mounted means for propelling dust and fiber contaminants away from the roller assembly; and having visual means for demonstrating rotation of the assembly so that personnel do not touch or otherwise engage the roller during machine operation.
The present device is adaptable to all types of existing machinery and to various ring styles. The roller head is designed to accommodate combing rings wound with opening wire, or rings with needles mounted in any surface arrangement. Generally, prior art devices require that the opening roller be removed from the machine, and special tools be used, to remove the wire or pin rings. However, with the present invention, the rings can be replaced at the machine without special tooling or machine downtime.
The structure that enables the meeting of these objectives includes: a combing roll head having contoured outer surfaces which eliminate accumulation of dust and fibers thereon; separable components whereby forward and rear collar members are threadedly connected to each other to support a combing ring therebetween; the collars having threads formed in counterclockwise relationship such that jamming of the components is eliminated; wedge-shaped projections on the outer surface of the rear collar to create turbulence and propel dust away from the roller assembly; at least two air ducts, one on either side of the bore through which the shaft is mounted, aligned parallel to the shaft, and extending directly into the hollow cavity which surrounds the bearing box; and at least one countersunk, color-coded bore on the outer collar for indicating when the roller head is in rotation or is at a standstill.
By utilizing such a structure it has been possible to substantially reduce the machine downtime, increase the life of the roller head and components, reduce maintenance costs, and reduce risk of injury to personnel. The structure, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description studied in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.